With international travel still uncertain, many cruise lines have announced British-based voyages for UK residents this summer.
Below I compare the offerings from P&O Cruises, Princess, Viking, Fred Olsen, MSC, Saga, Celebrity, Cunard, Disney, Royal Caribbean and Marella.
Other lines sailing around the coast this year include Hurtigruten, Tradewind Voyages, Noble Caledonia and Riviera Travel.
The British cruises are obviously popular – Viking’s initial three sailings were snapped up by past guests even before they went on general sale so it has added another two.
Some of the itineraries below have been affected by the Scottish ban on cruise ships, and the extension of limits on cruise ship numbers until July 19.
Here’s how the major lines stack up… (tables best displayed on iPhone held horizontally, or on laptop)
Starting dates
| P&O Cruises | June 27 (Britannia) | August 7 (Iona*) |
| Princess Cruises | July 31 (Regal Princess) | August 30 (Sky Princess) |
| Viking | May 22 (Viking Venus*) | |
| Fred Olsen | July 5 (Borealis)** | August 16 (Bolette) |
| MSC Cruises | May 20 (Virtuosa*) | |
| Saga Cruises | June 27 (Spirit of Discovery) | July 26 (Spirit of Adventure*) |
| Celebrity Cruises | July 3 (Celebrity Silhouette) | |
| Cunard | August 13** (Queen Elizabeth) | |
| Disney | July 15 (Disney Magic) | |
| Royal Caribbean | July 7 (Anthem of the Seas) | |
| Virgin Voyages | August 6 (Scarlet Lady) | |
| Marella Cruises | June 25 (Marella Explorer) | July 10 (Marella Explorer 2) |
Ships and passenger capacity*
| P&O Cruises | Britannia (3,647) | Iona (5,200) |
| Princess Cruises | Regal Princess (3,600) | Sky Princess (3,600) |
| Viking | Viking Venus (930) | |
| Fred Olsen | Borealis (1,360) | Bolette (1,338) |
| MSC Cruises | MSC Virtuosa (4,888) | |
| Saga Cruises | Spirit of Discovery (999) | Spirit of Adventure (999) |
| Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Silhouette (2,886) | |
| Cunard | Queen Elizabeth (2,092) | |
| Disney | Disney Magic (2,400) | |
| Royal Caribbean | Anthem of the Seas (4,180) | |
| Virgin Voyages | Scarlet Lady (2,800) | |
| Marella Cruises | Marella Explorer (1,924) | Explorer 2 (Adults only – 1,814) |
Departure ports and lengths of sailings
| P&O Cruises | Southampton (3, 4 and 7 nights) |
| Princess Cruises | Southampton (3, 4 and 7nts) |
| Viking | Portsmouth (8nts) |
| Fred Olsen | Dover and Liverpool (3 – 7nts) |
| MSC Cruises | Southampton (plus Liverpool*) 4 & 7nts |
| Saga Cruises | London Tilbury (6 – 15nts) |
| Celebrity Cruises | Southampton (6 – 8nts) |
| Cunard | Southampton (3 – 12nts) |
| Disney | Southampton, Liverpool, Newcastle & Tilbury (2-4nts) |
| Royal Caribbean | Southampton (4 – 8nts) |
| Virgin Voyages | Portsmouth (3 – 4nts) |
| Marella Cruises | Southampton and Newcastle (3 – 12nts) |
Sailing where?
| Line | Shorter voyages (stops in bold) | Longer voyages (stops in bold) |
|---|---|---|
| P&O Cruises | South coast scenic | Scenic voyages to Channel Islands, French coast. Scotland on Iona maiden. Liverpool on Britannia 6-day cruise. |
| Princess Cruises | Portland on 4-day cruises | Portland, Liverpool, Belfast, Greenock |
| Viking | Eight-day cruises only | Liverpool, Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, Falmouth and Portland |
| Fred Olsen | England and Scotland | Scenic voyages to the Orkneys, Shetlands and Faroe Islands |
| MSC Cruises | Scenic and Portland | Also Liverpool and Belfast |
| Saga Cruises | Scotland, Norwegian fjords | 14-night round-Britain plus Spirit of Adventure maiden voyage calling at several UK ports |
| Celebrity Cruises | South coast and Portland | Inverness, Kirkwall, Greenock, Belfast and Liverpool |
| Cunard | Scenic cruising | Liverpool, Greenock, Invergordon, Belfast, Newcastle, Holyhead |
| Disney | Scenic cruising | No sailings longer than 4 days |
| Royal Caribbean | Scenic cruising | Liverpool, Kirkwall and Belfast |
| Virgin Voyages | Scenic cruising | No sailings longer than 4 days |
| Marella Cruises | South coast and Portland | UK and Irish ports |
Vaccination policy
| P&O Cruises | All guests must be vaccinated (ie no children*) |
| Princess Cruises | All guests must be vaccinated (ie no children*) |
| Viking | All guests must be vaccinated |
| Fred Olsen | Awaiting further government advice |
| MSC Cruises | All adult guests must be vaccinated |
| Saga Cruises | All guests must be vaccinated |
| Celebrity Cruises | Over-18s vaccinated; under-18s negative PCR test |
| Cunard | All guests must be vaccinated |
| Disney | Over-18s vaccinated; under-18s negative PCR test |
| Royal Caribbean | Over-18s vaccinated; under-18s negative PCR test |
| Virgin Voyages | Adults-only – must be vaccinated |
| Marella Cruises | Over-18s vaccinated; under-18s negative test; no under-2s allowed at all |
**MSC Cruises originally allowed both vaccinated and unvaccinated guests but changed its policy after a government announcement on June 28
Lowest prices per person
| Line | Three days | Four days | Seven days |
|---|---|---|---|
| P&O Cruises | £449T (£249I) | £499T (£299I) | £779T (£1,199T*) |
| Princess Cruises | £489DWT | £599DWT | £899DWT |
| Viking | N/A | N/A | £1,990MWTS (for 8 days) |
| Fred Olsen | £399 | £549 | £1,099 |
| MSC Cruises | N/A | £499DT | £849DT |
| Saga Cruises | N/A | N/A | £1,154MWT |
| Celebrity Cruises | £499 | N/A | £1,049DWT (for six days) |
| Cunard | £499 | £599 | £899 |
| Disney | £562 | £838.50 | N/A |
| Royal Caribbean | N/A | £569 | £779 |
| Virgin Voyages | £499WT | £599WT | N/A |
| Marella Cruises | £418 | N/A | £779 |
Lowest price per person per day*
| P&O Cruises | £100 (for six-day voyage) |
| Princess Cruises | £128DWT (for seven-day voyage) |
| Viking | £249MWTS (for eight-day voyage) |
| Fred Olsen | £133 (for three-day voyage) |
| MSC Cruises | £121DT (for seven-day voyage) |
| Saga Cruises | £165MWT (for seven-day voyage) |
| Celebrity Cruises | £166 DWT(for three-day voyage) |
| Cunard | £125 (for 12-day voyage) |
| Disney | £187 (for three-day voyage) |
| Royal Caribbean | £111 (for seven-day voyage) |
| Virgin Voyages | £150WT (for four-day voyage) |
| Marella Cruises | £111 (for seven-day voyage) |
See also:
Round-Britain 2021: How the small lines compare
P&O Cruises announces round-Britain voyages
Princess Cruises announces round-Britain voyages
Fred Olsen announces round-Britain voyages
MSC Cruises announces round-Britain voyages
Virgin Voyages ship will make its debut in Britain
Marella Cruises announces round-Britain voyages
Line by line – when cruising is coming back
Month by month – when ocean ships are returning
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Thanks, Dave. I’m currently booked on an MSC Baltic cruise departing 31/5, so I’m very interested in what they’ll announce!